The Littles Continued :)

I thought I would wrap up our two part Littles and Lesley Poole Post with some of our own MMF Littles projects.

This collection lends itself well to accessory projects like the amazing Lesley Poole demonstrated... But, it's also great for quilts! Heidi Pridemore designed the nautically inspired quilt below.

*free quilt pattern coming soon!

How perfect would this quilt be in a seaside cottage? I can make the quilt... now I just need a seaside cottage!

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When I love a collection, I can't stop making garments. For the Littles, I went a little bit crazy- four dresses, one jacket and a bunch of bunting! Naturally, I wanted Little Miss O to model the dresses but this time, I enlisted her brother and Little Miss E to join the fun. Three kids who all wanted to be the boss. What a day! I admit, I had to use some lollipop bribery...

Here are the girls, doing their own thing :)

~ Miss E is wearing the Sally Dress in Little Sailboats

~Miss O is wearing Little Bow Pleat in Little Whales 

(the bow is Which Way Stripe)

Little O's brother, Charlie, has always been so curious about the photoshoots so I thought he would love being a part of one. He spent the whole time trying to check out the lights and wandering behind the backdrop. He wasn't happy about sitting on the bench until I said the magic word... Little E wasn't happy about the bench either (as you can see by her adorable frown-y face...

(before bribery)

...and then, the magic word, **Lollipop**

(after bribery)

Charlie is wearing the Puperita Jacket in Little Sailboats & Little Anchors

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~ Miss O is wearing the Sally Dress in Little Sailboats & Little Lifesavers

~Miss E is wearing the Sunshine Dress in Clown Stripe & Little Anchors

And finally, SUCCESS! The girls were actually holding hands and spinning! It took all day but it was totally worth it. Little Miss O said that she loved teaching Charlie and Miss E the ropes. Gotta love that girl! 

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The Littles is available in stores now! We'd love to see what you make... Post your pictures and projects on our facebook page!

 Have a great weekend and happy sewing!

xo,

kait


 MMF Pinterest 

Lesley Poole & the Littles Part 2!

Hi again, Lesley Poole here. What is it about March that makes me think of heading to the pool? I’ve got swimming and summer on my mind. Maybe it's all the "cruise season" catalogs arriving in my mailbox, or quite possibly I am just feeling a little deprived of Vitamin D at this point in our Seattle winter.
 

The Littles collection simply says “family vacation” to me. There is an element of classic kid fun in bright colors and whimsical, nautically inspired patterns. And with all these anchors, whales, and sailboats, who can help but dream of warmer weather? Whether you are heading on vacation or just to the local pool, these vibrant prints will definitely add some sunshine to the day. 

*pictured above ~ Little Lifesavers

I don’t know about you, but when our “Poole Party of 5” heads to the water we always bring loads of stuff - towels, goggles, and pool toys to name only a few! It seemed only natural to sew up a tote bag that could carry it all! This simple, lined tote is the perfect accessory for taking poolside. I used Michael Miller’s Cotton Sateen in navy and lined it with “little whales” in coral. The bright coral is such a nice pop of color inside this classic bag and I love seeing those cute little whales peeking out. 

The next thing to sew was a set of mix-and-match drawstring sacks to keep all our treasures organized. With three kids, it seems everyone has items that are absolute necessities for each and every trip out the door. “Little anchors”, “little whales”, and “ ta dot” were the fabric choices here. (Note: The patterns for both the tote and accessory sacks came from a couple of make*do*mend sewing workshops I attended. Even if you already know how to sew, taking a class can be a great way to learn some new tips and tricks.)  

And the last items on my list were some embellished towels. As I mentioned above, when we head to the pool, it feels like we are planning to go for a week, even if it is only for a few hours. I decided to make some pint-sized towels, to cut down on the bulk. For this project, I used navy cotton terry cloth and chose the vibrant and crisp “little lifesavers” in coral to back the terry and add some pop to this poolside staple. I also appliquéd a seahorse design and a letter "P" on classic white towels for another fun and simple way to use this lively fabric. 

*pictured above ~ Ta Dot, Little Lifesavers

Thanks so much, Michael Miller, for letting me play with this vibrant new collection. I had a fantastic time imagining the sunny days of summer that are just a project or daydream away! 

 ~ Lesley (Poole Party of 5)

Lesley Poole and the Littles!

Hello there, I’m Lesley Poole from Poole Party of 5 .  This summer I attended Alt SF  and was extremely excited when I found out that Michael Miller Fabrics would be one of the sponsors for the event.  I originally found out about Michael Miller Fabrics from my favorite fabric boutique in Seattle, Drygoods Design where the owner, Keli, turned me onto the Mini Mikes collection.  The Etsy line that I sew incorporates modern fabrics that I then appliqué onto classic silhouettes for custom gift giving.  I have found that it can be difficult to find fabrics with patterns that have small enough repeats for my appliquéwork.  And, as it turns out, many of the fabrics I go back to again and again are from Michael Miller.  While I was at Alt, I made it a priority to meet the Michael Miller team and share with them how much I love to use their smaller patterns for the appliqué and embellishment sewing I do for Poole Party Designs.

The MM team recently contacted me to tell me about a brand new collection about to be launched that was designed with my type of work in mind.  It incorporates the small repeats I am always looking for, as well as multi-directional patterns, which can help to maximize fabric usage.  When I received a package of this new collection, The Littles (designed by Shawn Wallace of MMF), I just about swooned!  There were so many fun and whimsical prints to choose from.  I immediately set to work on some fresh new appliqués to test out the versatility of this line. 

*pictured above ~ Little Whales, Clown Stripe, Little Sailboats

            

*pictured above ~ Hospital Gown, Clown Stripe, Little Sailboats

 

*pictured above ~ Ta Dot, Hospital Gown

The “little sailboats”, “little whales” and “clown stripe” worked so well for the baby onesies and burp cloths.

*pictured above ~ Which Way Stripe

And I love the “which way stripe” and “hospital gown” geometrics in the kid shirts. You’ll definitely be seeing these items show up on Poole Party Designs soon!

Stay tuned- I'll be back with Part Two of the Littles very soon!

~Lesley